Hanger for picture-rods



I (No Model.) 2 sheets-sheen1..A

G. J. KELLY.

HANGER FR PICTURE RODS.

10.585,106. Patented June 22,1897.

I i /ll ,/5

G. J. KELLY. HANGER PoR PICTURE RODS.

(No Model.)

No. 585,106. Patented June 22,1897.

PATENT EETCE.

GEORGE JOHN KELLY, OF NEWPORT, VERMONT.

HANGER FOR PICTURE-RODS..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 585,106, dated J' une 22, 1897'. Application filed February 15, 1897. Serial No. 623,490. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE JOHN KELLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newport, in the county of Orleans and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hangers for Picture- Rods; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to means for hanging picture-rods and pictures on a wall of a room, hall, apartment, or any other place.

It is well known that the ordinary practice of fastening a picture rod or molding to a wall contemplates the employment of nails, Which are usually driven through a lip or ange on the back edge of the molding or rod, which requires care and discrimination not only in adj Listing the molding to make it parallel to the line of the ceiling, but also requires care in driving the nails to avoid injury to the nished surface of the rod. Again, l

when the room is to be papered, painted, or otherwise decorated the molding or rod has to be taken down, leaving unsightly holes in the wall and frequently resulting in such injury to the molding itself as to render it unfit for service again. 4I aim to overcome these objections by the provision of a simple cheap hanger adapted to be easily fastened in proper place on the wall to receive the molding or rod and to hold it securely in place without requiring the rod to be fastened directly to the wall through the agency of nails or screws, whereby the wall and rod are saved from mutilation and the molding'may be removed and replaced with the same ease and facility as pictures may be hung and adjusted.

A further obj ect of my invention is to make the hanger or support adjustable to rods or moldings of different widths, thus making the device applicable universally to the various kinds of picture rods or moldings which may be used. I construct the hanger in sections, one or both of which are adjustable lengthwise and held together by suitable means, and said extensible members carry means for clamping the picture -molding securely in place between themselves.

Picture-rods are sometimes placed at an angle in a room or hall, and to adapt the hanger to such conditions I provide it With means whereby the angularly-arranged rod may be securely held in place while the hanger itself occupies a plumb or vertical position to sustain the weight of the molding and the picture hung thereon to the best advantage. I also provide the hanger with means for securely and positively gripping the molding Without injury to the ornamental surface thereof and Without regard to any extent of the adjustment or length of the hanger.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter more fully set forth in the detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof.

To enable others to understand my invention, I have illustrated the same in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is an elevation showing a picture rod or molding suspended from a wall by hangers constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation, the hanger being shown in edgel View and the molding in transverse section. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective View of the hanger with the molding omitted. Fig. 4 is a vertical central sectional View through the hanger. Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are perspective views of the various parts of the hanger detached one from the other. Fig. 9 is a detail View of a picturehook adapted for use in connection with my improvements. Fig. 10 is an elevation showing a picture-rod with its horizontal and inclined lengths supported by my improved hangers.

Like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention I construct the hanger l of sheet metal and With an extensible body or shank. The shank or body of the hanger preferably consists of two at plates 2 3, coupledl together by a slidable joint, and these members of the hanger carry the foot-clamp 4 and the top clamp 5, which clamps are arranged to receive and hold the molding, rod, or bar between themselves. As shown, the foot-clamp 4 occupies a relatively stationary position on the member 2; but the top clamp 5 is carried by IOO a slide 6, which is itted to the member 3 to adjust the top clamp longitudinally on the hanger and toward or from the foot-clamp. The member 2 has an enlarged rounded lower extremity in which is formed an arc-shaped slot 7, and said member 2 is further provided with turned-up flanges S S at the side edges thereof and with a series of apertures i) between the side flanges, the latter serving as the guides for the member 3 of the hanger. This last member 3 of the hanger is provided at its side edges with turned-up flanges 10, that serve as the guides for the movable slide G of the top clamp 5, and said flanged edges of the member 3 are tted within the flanges 8 S of the member 2, whereby said members are joined together in a manner to permit them to be extended to accommodate the hanger to the moldings or rods of different widths or diameters. The member 3 of the hanger is also provided with a series of apertures 1l between the side flanges l0 thereof, and these apertures are adapted to coincide with the apertures fl in the member 2. Through one or more of the alined apertures in the two hanger members may be passed one or more screws l2, which serve the twofold purpose of holding the members in their adjusted positions and of fastening the hanger to the wall, into which the screws l2 are adapted to embed themselves.

. The upperextremityo'f the member 3 is provided with an enlarged head 13, which may be struck up as an integral part of the member or iliade in a separate piece and attached thereto, and in this head is a transverse slot 14, through which is passed a screw or nail, as at l5, to assist in fastening the hanger on the wall.

Each member 2 3 of the hanger is struck up from a single piece and .bent to form the guide flanges, thus producing the hanger cheaply and rapidly. The slide 6 is likewise struck up from a single piece or blank with angular sides and projecting ilauges IG, that are adapted to iit in the side flanges 1l of the member 3. This slide is raised or projects out from the hanger, so as to present thc upper clamp 5 in position to bear upon the upper edges of the molding or rod. The upper end of the slide is formed with a thumbpiece 1S for convenient adjustment of the slide, and the lower end of the slide is formed or provided with a chisel point or prong 19, which is adapted, when the slide is pressed down to adjust the clamp 5 upon the 1nolding or rod, to penetrate or be forced into the top of the molding within the recess usually provided therein, thus positively holding the molding in place, in addition to clamping it frictionally between the foot and top clamps 4 5.

The top and foot clamps may be carried on the member 2 and the slide 6 to occupy relatively xed positions on said parts, while said clamps are of course adjustable with the member 2 and the slide 6 5 but to make the hanger applicable to rods or moldings which lic at an angle to the perpendicular, as is sometimes the case in halls and rooms, I prefer to make the top and bottom clamps adjustable at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the hanger. To attain these ends, I preferably attach the top clamp 5 to the adjustable slide (5, so that it may be swung thereon either to the right or left, and the lower clamp -t is also attached pivotally to the member 2 for a like purpose. The slide G has an aperture 20, adapted to register with one of the apertures in the shank or body of the hanger to permit a fastening screw or nail 2l to be passed through said apertures and into the wall for the purpose of holding the slide and top clamp securely in place. Said top clamp is struck up preterably from a single piece of metal, and it is doubled upon itself to provide the projecting lip 23, a stud or pin 2t being rigidly attached to the clamp near its outer end. This top clamp is curved or otherwise shaped to provide a proper bearing-surface to rest upon the top edge of the molding or rod, and it is pivotcd to the slide (5 at the point indicated at 25. The lip 23 and stud 24E are for use in connection with the picture-cord hook, presently described.

The foot-clamp t is struck up from a single piece of sheet metal and bent to provide a proper surface for the lower edge of the molding or rod to rest upon, and said footclamp is pivotcd to the member 2 at 2G, said pivot being at the center of the circle, from which is struck the arc-shaped slot in the member 2. The clamp 4 has an aperture 23, that coincides with the arc-shaped slot, through which is passed a nail or screw 29 for holding the clamp 4 in proper position. Said foot-clamp is further provided with a struck-up lip 30, that extends from the face of the clamp and serves as a means for engaging a picture-cord therewith,whereby the cord may be adjusted to engage with said lip 3() in a manner to cause the picture to hang in a level position.

In the use of my hangers in supporting a rod or molding it may occur that one or more of the hangers occupyaposition immediately over the place where it is desirable to hanga picture. To meet these conditions, I have devised a picture-hook, (indicated at 32 in the drawings, which represents a double hook,) the broad rear end of which is provided with a series of teeth rlhe rear of this picturehook terminates in a curved end that extends downwardly while the front part terminates in an upwardly-curved hook, over which the picture cord or wire maybe fitted to suspend the picture as usual. Near its rear end, within the serrated or toot-lied edge thereof, the hook is provided with a transverse slot 3l, and it is further provided with a longitudinal slot 35, which is formed in the upright shank or part of said hook. A picture-hook such as described may be used on the rod or molding inV the ordinary way, or it may be IIO used in connection with the molding-hanger, either above or below the top clamp 5 on the slide 6. This hook may have its upper curved end fitted over the rod or molding to rest directly thereon, and the serrated end of said hook serves to hold the hook securely in place.

When the hook is to be used in connection with theI hanger, its serrated rear end is slipped in the space between the back and lip of the upper clamp 5 in position for the lip to fit in the transverse slot 34, and the hook is then lowered over the top clamp to rest thereon and cause the pin or stud of said clamp to fit in the longitudinal slot 35 of the hook, whereby the top clamp securely confines the hook against displacement. The hook, however, may be fitted directly upon the rod or molding in the vertical plane of the hanger, which may be effected bj1-lifting the slide 6 and clamp 5, placing the hook in position and then lowering` the slide and clamp until the clamp bears upon the hook, after which the slide is fastened in place to confine the hook and the molding in place.

The hangers to be used in supporting' a molding or rod are adjusted to correspond approximately to the width of the molding or rod to be used, and then the hangers are fastened in place by the described means, after which 'the hangers are ready to receive the molding or rod. The latter can be easily placed in position within the hangers to rest upon the foot-clamps 4, after which the slides 6 are lowered to force the upper clamps 5 down upon the top edge of the molding and to force the chisel points or prongs into the molding, the slides being fastened in place by screws or nails, as shown.

The hangers are securely fastened to the wall by nails or screws, which also serve to hold the several parts in their adjusted positions, and the clamps and prongs hold the molding .or rod securely in place. All the fastenings for the hangers, except the top screws that hold the upper end of the members 3 and the slides 6, are concealed by the molding or rod. For supporting rods or moldings that are arranged in angular positions the hanger is fastened in a vertical position on the wall, the foot-clamp is turned to a proper position to support the rod or molding and then fastened in place by a screw, and the top clamp is also adjusted at an angle to properly bear upon the molding after the latter has been placed in thev hanger, and the Aslide is lowered and fastened in place.

The hook 32 may be adjusted with relation to the hanger in the manner described, and

after the picture cord or wire has been fitted to the hook the cord or wire is adjusted to engage with the lip on the foot-clamp in order to level the picture and to give the same the proper slant. The hanger also provides a convenient means for uniting the adjacent ends of-two lengths or sections of the molding or rod. Said ends may be joined together by cutting kerfs near the back edge of the molding-sections and inserting therein a thin piece of sheet metal, which provides a safe and secure joint, which may .be fitted in the foot-clamp.

While I have shown the hanger as having its clamps adapted to the usual styles of moldings, I would have it understood that these clamps may be so shaped and proportioned as to receive cylindrical or other forms of picture-rods which it may be desired to use in rooms or apartments.

The hanger may be ornamented and embellished in any preferred style to present a neat and attractive appearance. While I have described the hanger as made preferably of sheet metal, I would have it understood that I do not limit myself `to this particular material.

Parts of my invention may be used without the whole. I do not conne myself to the detailed construction and arrangement of parts herein shown and described as the preferred embodiment of my invention, as I am aware that the same can be modified by a skilled mechanic without departing from the'spirit or sacrificing the advantages of myinvention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. As a new article of manufacture, a rod or molding hanger comprising an extensible body or shank, a foot-clamp thereon, a slide connected to said body for adjustment thereon independently of any extensible adjustment of the body or shank, and an upper clamp carried by the slide, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a rod or molding hanger comprising a shank or body, a lower clamp or bearing adjustable at an angle thereto, and an angularly-adjustable upper clamp, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a rod or -molding hanger comprising a shank or body,

a lower clamp or rest adjustable at an angle thereto,a slide,and an adjustable upper clamp carried by the slide and adjustable at an angle to the shank or body, substantially as described.

4. The combination with a body or shank, of upper and lower clamps movably connected with said body or shank for adjustment thereon in position at an angle with respect to the length of said body, whereby said clamps may TOO IIO

support a rod or molding occupying a position i inclined to a horizontal, as set forth.

5. The combination with an extensible body or shank, a foot-clamp on one member of said body or shank, a slide fitted to move longi* tudinally on the body or shank independently of any extensible adjustment thereof, an upper clamp carried by the slide, and means for fastening the body or shank in position and also for fastening the slide and its clamp in place after the latter shall have been engaged with a picture rod or molding, as and for the purposes described.

G. As a new article of manufacture, a rod or molding hanger comprising an extensible body, a foot clamp or rest pivoted to one member of said body, a slide adjustably fitted on the other member of the body, and an upper clamp pivoted to said slide, substantially as and for the purposes described.

'7. As a new article of manufacture, a rod or molding hanger comprising an extensible body, a foot rest or clamp adj ustably attached to one member of the body, a slide carried by the other member of the body, and a top clamp adjustably attached to said slide, substantially as and for the purposes described.

S. In a rod or molding hanger, the combination with a body or shank carrying a footrest, of a slide provided with a chisel point or prong, substantially as and for the purposes described.

9. In a rod or molding hanger, the combination with a body or shank, of an an gularlyadjustable foot-rest, a slide carrying a prong, and an adjustable jaw also carried by said slide, as and for the purposes described.

10. A rod or molding hanger provided with a clamp having a lip and a stud, combined with a slotted hoek which is itted to the jaw to have the lip and stud fit in the slots thereof, substantially as described.

ll. The combination of a rod or molding hanger, a foot rest or clamp having a lip for engagement with Ya picture-cord, and an upper ljaw arranged to coniine a rod or molding between itself and the foot rest or clamp, substantially as described.

12. A rod or molding hanger having an areshaped slot at the lower end thereof, an adjustable foot rest or clamp pivoted to said hanger, means for holding said foot-rest in its adjusted positions, and au upper clamp, substantially described.

13. A rod or molding hanger Comprising an extensible body or shank, one member of which is provided with a longitudinal guideway, a foot rest or clamp on one member of said body or shank, an oi'fstandin g slide fitted to the guideway on said member, and an upper clamp carried by the slide, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence ot' two witnesses.

GEORGE JOHN KELLY. lVitnesses:

J. F. LAMBERT, GERTRUDE LAMBERT. 

